One criticism often levelled at in-ear headphones is that they don't deliver the weighty, punchy bass of their over-the-head cousins.
Audio-Technica aims to change that with its ATH-CKS55is, on whose packaging the words 'SOLID BASS' appear even bigger than the company logo...
The designers haven't mucked about, either. Replace the word 'solid' with 'seismic' and you have some idea about the kind of whump that these buds offer.
Noah And The Whale's acoustic-led L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. yields a performance packed with warm, rounded low frequencies and a lovely open way with vocals.
There's plenty of detail on offer in the midrange and treble, too.
Dynamic shifts, decent finesse
A switch to Van Halen's Mean Street showed the CKS55is more than capable of handling more complex rock, with the dynamic shifts dispatched with decent finesse.
Our only gripe is that this monolithic bass could sound a little tighter; some of the leading edges of notes are a bit sanded-off for our taste.
If you're after an analytical listen, these Audio-Technicas aren't really for you. But if you crave excitement, nice design and a decent fit – not to mention, of course, a great big delivery from the downstairs bass department – they're well worth a try.
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